Featured Articles from the Glendale News-Press

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) increased pressure on the Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday to issue a long-awaited final report on the health impact of water tainted with chromium 6 on humans, calling the slow progress “unconscionable.” In his letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the congressman whose district has a long-running problem with chromium 6 contamination of underground water said the agency “must stop wasting time...

LOS ANGELES - The Crescenta Valley High boys' basketball team ran into a freight train in the form of El Camino Real in the semifinals of the War on the Floor Tournament at Los Angeles Pierce College on Sunday. “I'm frustrated by the loss,” Crescenta Valley's Kevin Dinges said. “I take every game seriously no matter what. This team came ready to play and we were a little bit lagging in the beginning. They came through and blew us out.” El Camino Real, last year's L.A. City Section runner-up, defeated the Falcons, 67-38.

One count each of first-degree rape and first-degree sex offense might permanently derail the career and aspirations of Glendale High alumnus Jesse Meaux. The 23-year-old pitcher was recently arrested and charged with the serious offenses in North Carolina, where Meaux is a member of the Asheville Tourists, a minor league baseball team and low Class-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Meaux and Tourists teammate Michael Mason were both immediately arrested after warrants were issued Aug. 1 involving an alleged incident July 27. While Meaux posted $100,000 bail, Mason remained in Buncombe County jail.

EAGLE ROCK - Though still three weeks away from the start of the seven-game season, there's already plenty of reason for optimism surrounding the Glendale Bears Youth Football and Cheerleading organization. Practices appear to be crisp and various fundamentals are being learned in anticipation of the upcoming campaign beginning Sept. 21. It's left first-year president Cynthia Perez energized for a program that was formed in 1969. “We are going to have about 125-150 players, plus 60 cheerleaders this year,” said Perez, who served as the organization's interim president last season.

Two Newport Beach residents hope to stop the arrival of two large yachts -- including one owned by Americana on Brand developer Rick Caruso -- slated to moor temporarily in the open harbor area in front of their homes next month. When the boat owners independently asked to anchor in the newly dredged waterfront, Newport Beach Harbor Commission members approved their requests as a welcome opportunity to try out a different use for the area on the west end of Lido Island. But residents fear this may be a first step toward the harbor changing for the worse, according to the Daily Pilot . "This is just a trial, they keep assuring us of that," said Pamela Whitesides, who has lived in a waterfront building for about 20 years.

Drivers in Glendale are roughly 76% more likely to be involved in a collision than the national average, making them some of the worst motorists nationwide, according to a new insurance report. For the ninth year in row, Glendale ranked near the bottom of the Allstate Insurance Co.'s “America's Best Drivers” report, which includes 194 of the country's largest cities. And Glendale ranked last among cities in California for having the worst drivers. “Individually, any driver can make a difference in their risk of having a collision,” said Jim Klapthor, an Allstate spokesman based in California.

Technicolor Inc. plans to close down its Flower Street facility in Glendale and lay off 50 employees by March 28, less than two years after opening the location, according to a recent state filing. Plans for the layoffs and closure, filed with the California Employment Development Department, will shutter the 40,000-square-foot lab where the company moved roughly 100 film-processing jobs in July 2011. Technicolor opened the facility after closing a North Hollywood location earlier in 2011.

The California Department of Public Health has set a draft limit for a water contaminant known as chromium 6 at 10 parts per billion, significantly lower than the current cap of 50 parts per billion for total chromium in drinking water. The state agency used more than a decade of research done by the city of Glendale to set the limit, which once its finalized will impact water providers statewide. “California is the first and only state in the nation to establish a maximum contaminant level specifically for chromium-6 in drinking water,” Ron Chapman, the department's director and public health officer said in a statement.

Glendale Water & Power has started testing a new filtration method to strip chromium 6 from groundwater and plans to start the process for other techniques next month. Previous methods have had some drawbacks, prompting the fresh approaches. Filtration adds an extra step to current testing, but the others, which include using resins and absorption technology to suck out the cancer-causing contaminant, are new ventures. “We're blazing the trail here,” said Charles Cron, plant manager at a chromium 6 testing facility in northwest Glendale.

Dozens of people protested big banks and corporations at the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Lake Avenue Wednesday afternoon as part of the growing ' Occupy Wall Street ' movement. There were 80 to 90 protesters at the height of the event, holding up signs with slogans such as “I pay more taxes than Bank of America .” “I've been reading about 'Occupy Wall Street' and feel supportive of the movement,” said Kat Castaneda, 35. “I'm unemployed and this touches me on a very personal level.” Continue reading > > -- Adolfo Flores , Times Community News Photo: Protestors congregated on Lake Ave. and Colorado Blvd.

America is becoming more rude. That's the opinion of several writers and bloggers, and they're backed up by a Rasmussen Report survey that says 76% of Americans believe the nation is becoming less civilized. A similar study by Weber Shandwick says 65% of respondents believe there is a major problem with civility in the U.S. Writing on www.npr.com, Linton Weeks berates the fact that fewer people seem to be using basic pleasantries such as “please” and “thank you,” and say “no problem,” “sure,” or “you bet,” instead of the traditional “you're welcome.” Weeks quotes Lisa Gache, the co-founder of Beverly Hills Manners, who blames today's casual attitudes for the decrease in manners.

For the first time in more than three years, the Glendale Fire Department is looking to hire. Fire officials plan to start accepting applications in August in an effort to hire 15 new firefighters who meet department qualifications, have a good work ethic and are willing to provide community service, Battalion Chief Tom Propst said. "There is a lot of competition out there and a lot of interest," he said. The push to hire new firefighters comes after a protracted recession, citywide budget cuts and operational changes in the Fire Department that kept hiring at a standstill despite ongoing retirements.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would set a deadline for establishing a new federal cap on chromium 6 contamination in drinking water. The move comes two weeks after the congressman called on the Environmental Protection Agency to release a long-awaited final report on the health impact of water tainted with chromium 6 on humans. Those findings - which would be key for setting new maximum contamination levels - were postponed so the agency could also finish studying the effects of inhaling hexavalent chromium, and then release both reports at the same time.

Librarian positions at four Glendale Unified high schools may be eliminated for the 2012-13 school year as the district tries to balance budget and staffing variables, officials said. The four librarians - who are also credentialed teachers - at Glendale, Hoover, Crescenta Valley and Clark Magnet high schools have been notified that they could be moved from their current positions back into the classroom as the district works to create breathing room in its ever shrinking budget.

Nordstrom - the high-end retailer that has come to life on a prominent corner of the Americana at Brand - will open on Sept. 20, officials announced Wednesday. Americana officials also announced that two big-draw restaurants will open in the outdoor shopping mall within a year. The Americana is also making $60 million worth of improvements along Brand Boulevard to create a grand lobby entrance leading to Nordstrom as well as street improvements such as landscaping and lighting, according to Rick Caruso, founder of the Americana's owner, Caruso Affiliated.